Abstract: In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a system and method for transmitting upstream traffic in an optical network is provided. In a particular embodiment, the method includes transmitting upstream traffic at a first wavelength from a first downstream terminal to a distribution node and transmitting upstream traffic at a second wavelength from a second downstream terminal to the distribution node. The method also includes combining the upstream traffic in the first wavelength and the upstream traffic in the second wavelength at a coupler in the distribution node without multiplexing the upstream traffic in the first wavelength and the upstream traffic in the second wavelength. The method also includes forwarding the combined traffic from the distribution node to a single upstream terminal.

Abstract: In accordance with the teachings of the present invention, a system and method for traffic distribution in an optical network is provided. In a particular embodiment, a traffic distribution module in a passive optical network (PON), includes a filter configured to receive downstream traffic in a first set of one or more wavelengths and a second set of one or more wavelengths from an optical line terminal (OLT), direct the traffic in the first set of wavelengths to a primary power splitter, and direct the traffic in the second set of wavelengths to a first connector. The traffic distribution module also includes a primary power splitter and a plurality of secondary power splitters. The primary power splitter is configured to receive the traffic in the first set of wavelengths and distribute the traffic in the first set to the plurality of secondary power splitters coupled to the primary power splitter such that optical network units (ONUs) in the PON receive the traffic in the first set of wavelengths.

Abstract: An optical coupling element for optically coupling an optical element formed on a substrate to an external optical element disposed adjacent to the substrate, including a first optical waveguide section formed on the substrate and having a smaller width on the side of the external optical element than a width on the side of the optical element, and a second optical waveguide section formed on the substrate and connected to the first optical waveguide section on the side of the external optical element, and having a smaller width on the side of the external optical element than a width on the side of the optical element and having a shorter length than a length corresponding to twenty wavelengths of the optical signal. The optical waveguide section can optimize the optical coupling efficiency, and the optical waveguide section can suppress residual reflections.

Abstract: A wavelength-selectable laser with a resonance region formed by two reflecting surfaces include a gain medium generating a laser beam, a first filter, and a second filter. The first filter has a first controllable transmission region and transmits a first predetermined wavelength region of the laser beam generated in the gain medium, the first predetermined wavelength region matching the first controllable transmission region. The second filter has a plurality of periodically arranged second transmission regions and transmits a second predetermined wavelength region of the laser beam transmitted by the first filter, the second predetermined wavelength region matching one of the second transmission regions.

Abstract: An optical waveguide device comprises an input waveguide for converting incident light into a single optical mode, a plurality of output waveguides for splitting power of incident light and outputting it, and a tapered waveguide for connecting the input waveguide and the output waveguides, gradually increasing in width from the input waveguide toward the output waveguides, and the tapered waveguide has a non-adiabatic state, that is, a sufficiently large taper angle such that lower order optical modes couple into higher order optical modes while light propagates along the tapered waveguide.

Abstract: A wavelength-selectable laser with a resonance region formed by two reflecting surfaces include a gain medium generating a laser beam, a first filter, and a second filter. The first filter has a first controllable transmission region and transmits a first predetermined wavelength region of the laser beam generated in the gain medium, the first predetermined wavelength region matching the first controllable transmission region. The second filter has a plurality of periodically arranged second transmission regions and transmits a second predetermined wavelength region of the laser beam transmitted by the first filter, the second predetermined wavelength region matching one of the second transmission regions.

Abstract: The optical coupling element for optically coupling an optical element formed on a substrate to an external optical element disposed adjacent to the substrate comprises: a first optical waveguide section 12 formed on the substrate and having a smaller width on the side of the external optical element than a width on the side of the optical element, and a second optical waveguide section 14 formed on the substrate and connected to the first optical waveguide section on the side of the external optical element, and having a smaller width on the side of the external optical element than a width on the side of the optical element and having a shorter length than a length corresponding to 20 wavelengths of the optical signal. The optical waveguide section 12 can optimize the optical coupling efficiency, and the optical waveguide section 14 can suppress residual reflections.

Abstract: An optical waveguide device comprises an input waveguide for converting incident light into a single optical mode, a plurality of output waveguides for splitting power of incident light and outputting it, and a tapered waveguide for connecting the input waveguide and the output waveguides, gradually increasing in width from the input waveguide toward the output waveguides, and the tapered waveguide has a non-adiabatic state, that is, a sufficiently large taper angle such that lower order optical modes couple into higher order optical modes while light propagates along the tapered waveguide.

Abstract: A trapezoidal partitioning method and apparatus for partitioning a figure of an optical waveguide approximated by a polygon into trapezoids wherein a prescribed linear axis is set, and the figure of the optical waveguide is partitioned by a group of straight lines passing through the vertices and lying perpendicular to the linear axis. Points of intersection at which two adjacent straight lines intersect the outline of the optical waveguide are adopted as vertices of one trapezoid, and vertex data is output as a set for each trapezoid. Further, the figure of the optical waveguide approximated by a polygon is specified by data of a sequence of vertices.